


Drive My Soul

by Brandydoll



Category: X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crushes, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Major Original Character(s), Mutants, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on Tumblr, POV Original Character, POV Third Person, Pining, Post-X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Slice of Life, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-12
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 00:52:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8266684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brandydoll/pseuds/Brandydoll
Summary: After Aurora's mutant abilities manifest in an accident that left one dead and her family torn apart, she's shipped off to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in the hopes that she'll be kept safe and learn to control her newfound powers. The problem is, healing after a series of traumatic events that snowballed into a catastrophic meltdown just isn't that easy, especially when you look and feel like a freak in a place that isn't home. But maybe what they say about time healing all wounds is true after all; especially when you're surrounded by people that are somehow just like you. Particularly that tall, blue, and German kid that always just happens to show up at all the right moments.





	1. 1407 Graymalkin Lane

"I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry that this is happening."

 

The day was perfect, lodged in that wonderful place between summer and autumn where the leaves were just starting to rust but the air was still gentle and warm. But at that moment they might as well have been standing outside in the middle of a hurricane. Aurora's eyes were glued to the cobblestones beneath her boots, hearing her mother's words but finding herself unable string together a response. She'd spent the entire trek from Baltimore to New York waiting for her mother to say something, anything to make this better, just like she did when Aurora was little and afraid of the dark and monsters in her closet. But a terrible, heavy silence sat in the train car with them and followed them to the taxi on that long journey from her old home to her new one. Not a single word had been said aside from _good morning_ and _let's get your things together before your father wakes u_ p.

 

If Aurora were to be honest with herself, nothing could really be said to make any of this better.

 

Swallowing hard, Aurora finally mustered up the courage to look at her mother. Her usually smiling brown eyes were red around the edges, puffy from crying, purple hanging beneath them from sleepless nights. Aurora knew her mother's eyes to be the most beautiful and joyful in the world, seeing the best in everyone and everything. But in this moment all she could find was a deep, unsettling sorrow. A sadness that she was responsible for.

 

She had so little time left, but Aurora still found herself unable to speak. After all that had happened and the uncertainty before her, the right words just weren't coming to mind, no matter how hard she searched for them. It felt as if she were in a pitch black room without a flashlight, searching but at a disadvantage. Her expression must have appeared cold, but inside she was tearing herself apart.

 

"I love you, Aurora," her mother sniffed, soft hands making their way to her cheeks, "and your brother loved you...and your..." she trailed off, knowing better than to say what she was thinking. The flowery scent of her mother's perfume tickled Aurora's nose, and she savored it.

 

Aurora knew that at that moment she should have been crying too. She didn't know when she'd see her mom again. But she was still numb to her surroundings, lost in another world. She felt the sun on her back and the wind in her hair but it still felt like she was underwater, in a different reality. The last few days had swallowed her and she hadn't come back up for air quite yet. All she could do was hold her breath and hope the she wouldn't drown.

 

The taxi driver honked impatiently.

 

Aurora's mother pulled her into a tight, urgent hug. A hug that you'd give someone you were never going to see again. She pulled away and laid a hand on Aurora's shoulder, "Te amo mucho. You'll be safe here, mia."

 

"Te amo mucho," Aurora echoed. At the very least she'd manage some sort of goodbye, "I'll write you, okay?"

 

"Okay," she croaked, taking a step back. She was sobbing at this point, sunlight reflecting off the tears on her cheeks, "goodbye, Aurora."

 

Aurora managed a halfhearted wave, but still couldn't grasp the proper words to say, instead opting for silence. She watched as her mother climbed into the taxi, the sound of the door slamming a final, unceremonious goodbye. She watched as her mother buried her face in her hands, shoulders racking with sobs as the taxi sped off. A small part of her wanted to resurface and make a run for it, bang on the window and beg to be taken home. But the truth was she didn't have a home anymore. Once the yellow car passed through the gates and faded into the horizon, Aurora was struck by the very frightening realization that this was it. She was alone.

 

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Aurora turned around and gave the magnificent building behind her a once over, her eyes eventually landing on the door. She folded her arms across herself as if she were about to fall apart. This was too much. She closed her eyes and took another breath, trying her hardest to maintain her composure. She could feel the pins and needles in her toes, creeping up her legs, sparking in her fingertips. _No, not now_. _There's too many people here_. _Keep it together_. 

 

"Hello! You must be Ms. Sanders. You're early."

 

Aurora had been so wrapped up in herself that she hadn't heard the door open, nor had she heard anyone approach her. A tall man with dark hair, glasses, and a kind smile stood before her, "I'm Hank, Hank McCoy. I'm a teacher here at the institute. Science of any form, to be precise."

 

Cautiously, Aurora reached out and gave the man a brief handshake, careful not to linger for too long, "I'm Aurora."

 

"Great to meet you, Aurora," he paused to take a look at the road behind her, as if he were expecting someone else to be there, "Do you have any parents here with you today?"

 

His question made Aurora's chest sting, and she found herself staring at the ground again. She fought of the low rumble of her father's words in her head. _Get her out of my house. That thing isn't my daughter anymore._

 

"I... no," she shook her head, struggling to make eye contact, "my mom already left."

 

"Ah, it's okay," Hank's tone was gentle. Something told her that this wasn't the first time he'd heard that, "Well, the professor is excited to meet you," he swiftly changed the subject, grabbing a few of Aurora's suitcases, "Let's drop your things off at your room and then I'll introduce you two. Sound good?"

 

Aurora nodded, reaching down to grab the rest of her belongings. What other choice did she have?

 

Hank led her through the grand entryway of the school, chatting away about the history of the institute and something about how the mansion had actually been rebuilt just a few months ago. Aurora would have been lying if she said she wasn't impressed- the building was truly beautiful, and grand, but still maintained that warm homey feeling that a place like this needed.

 

“Usually the place is much more lively,” Hank commented, smiling down at her from a few steps farther up the stairs, “class is in session right now though, so most everyone is busy,” they rounded a corner and ended up in a long corridor with doors on either side, “speaking of which, what grade are you in?”

 

“I just started the twelfth grade.”

 

“Ah, wow. You're almost done with high school then,” they stopped in front of the doors towards the end of the hallway, Hank somehow managing to open the door carrying two suitcases and a portable record player, “well, this is your room.”

 

Aurora took a step inside and sat her bags down, taking a moment to look at her new dwelling. It was actually a decent size, with a large window looking over the lake, and matching furniture on either side of the room- two twin sized beds, two dressers, and two desks. Her stomach sank. The room was definitely unoccupied, but there was a chance she’d be sharing. Just the idea of sharing a room with another person after what had happened frightened her.

 

“So what do you think?” Hank asked with a warm smile as he set the rest of her things down.

 

“The view is nice,” Aurora muttered, not sure how to express her concerns. She clenched her fists in an attempt to stop the tingling that wouldn't go away, “I like it… Um… Will I have a room mate?”

 

Hank shrugged nonchalantly, “I'm not sure. For right now you'll have the room to yourself though. Are you ready to meet the professor?”

 

Aurora chewed on the side of her mouth. Well, at least she wouldn't have to worry about accidentally hurting someone for now anyway, “well, it's now or never I guess.”

 

After another set of stairs and a second long hallway, they finally made their way to the professor’s office. At this point Aurora was starting to feel a little bit nervous about meeting him, realization finally hitting her. She could count the number of other mutants she'd met on one hand, even then none of them being the most powerful psychic in the world. 

 

Hank didn't bother to knock, opening the door and letting Aurora in first. Professor Xavier looked up from the papers on his desk and smiled at her. He looked to be about the same age as Hank, but he was bald and sitting in a wheel chair, “Aurora. I've been expecting you. Please, have a seat,” he greeted her, sounding genuinely excited that she was there.

 

Aurora did as instructed, taking a seat at one of the two empty leather armchairs in front of his desk. She awkwardly wrung her hands in her lap, staring at them. The reality of the situation hit her all at once. She suddenly didn't feel like she was watching everything unfold from underwater anymore. She was being enrolled at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngster; not a pay-your-way private school, but a safe haven for mutants. This should have should have been one of the best days of Aurora's life. Just a year ago she had begged her father to send her here, only to be met with a scoff and _there's no way in hell I'd ever send my daughter to a school full of freaks._ Had he of just done what she'd asked last year and sent her away, things would have played out much differently.

 

Professor Xavier took a quick look around the room before looking back at Aurora, "Has your mother already left?"

 

Aurora nodded stiffly. Her mother hadn't even stuck around to really see where she was leaving her daughter, meet the people who's care she'd be under.

 

“I'm sorry,” the professor’s tone was sympathetic, knowing just how hard the situation was wearing on Aurora, “When I spoke to your mother over the phone…” he trailed off, searching for the right thing to say, “she cares about you so much, Aurora, please don't doubt that. She wanted what was best for you. She felt like this was the right thing to do.”

 

Aurora looked up from her hands to stare at him, eyebrows knitted. She knew that what he was saying was true and that he was just trying to make her feel better, but that didn't change the way she felt right now. The sensation of pinpricks had spread through her torso and up her arms by this point.

 

The professor’s expression remained soft, and he kept his eyes on hers, “you've been through so much in the last week. You haven't even had time to grieve,” he paused, “from the bottom of my heart… I am so incredibly sorry, Aurora. For everything that's happened. For your pain, your loss. I know just how hard this is, believe me.”

 

By this point Aurora felt as if she were vibrating, and she couldn't even look at the professor anymore. She was afraid to; instead she kept her eyes focused on the potted fern in the corner of his office, the green of the leaves practically glowing to her. She could feel it happening, despite her struggle to keep it in check. Aurora grit her teeth, trying so hard not to suck the life out the air, the plant- Charles and Hank. Her knuckles we're going white gripping the arms of the chair, pins and needles assaulting her entire body. It was no use. She was fully aware of the absorption.

 

“Aurora.”

 

The professor's voice caught her attention, her eyes landing on his again, though she still tried to keep her focus on the plant, “I'm sorry,” she struggled to speak, “it's… happening. I'm-I'm sorry.”

 

“It's okay,” he assured her, “many mutants have trouble controlling their powers in times of stress. You're not the only one,” his voice was calm, soothing, despite Aurora feeling like she was about to implode.

 

Aurora nodded, shaking violently. Her vision was going red; a bad sign.

 

“Focus on the plant. It's okay. Let go.”

 

Aurora clamped her eyes closed, letting out a breath just as shaky as she was. Was this really okay? She was absolutely terrified. What if something went wrong? What if she hurt them?

 

“Aurora,” Professor Xavier repeated, tone still surprisingly calm, “focus on the plant. I know you can do it.”

 

“I-I don't think I can control it,” she sputtered, trying so desperately to fight it off. It was the exact same feeling that had taken over her just a few days ago, when Jorge collapsed before her, empty.

 

“I think you can,” the professor assured her. Her eyes were still shut tightly, white pricking at the backs of her eyelids from the strain, “I understand that you're afraid. I do. But it appears that whatever is happening to you right now is going to keep happening regardless of how hard you're trying to fight it off. Don't let the feeling control you. _Control it_.”

 

His words struck a chord with her. He was right. She was fighting hard, but no matter what she did, at this moment her powers were getting the best of her and she couldn't stop it. All she could really hope to do was somehow point in the right direction.

 

Holding her breath, she opened her eyes, focusing her gaze on the potted plant. She somehow managed to steady herself, just her and the fern the only living things in the room. Hank and Professor Xavier no longer existed to her. The glow of life started to fade as the leaves withered and cracked, all of its energy seeping through her pores. She could feel the millions of pin pricks being sealed. It was strangely cathartic.

 

And then it was over.

 

Aurora sank back into her chair, her heart rate slowly steadying to a normal pace and her grip loosening. She was practically panting, but she somehow felt okay now, the feeling that she was crumbling in on herself finally gone.

 

“Wow,” Hank mused from behind her, stepping towards the now withered plant. He reached for one of the browned leaves and it crumbled between his fingers, “interesting.”

 

Aurora let out a long sigh. _Great_. Now she was probably going to end up being some sort of science experiment.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

Aurora wasn't exactly sure. On one hand, her powers weren't overwhelming her anymore but on the other hand she had just killed a really nice fern. She lifted her gaze from the now dead plant to look at the professor. She sighed, “I don't know. I think so?”

 

He nodded and scribbled something down on one of the many notepads on his desk. He smiled up at her, “well…congratulations. You're definitely enrolled."

 

"Not that you weren't before. Your physical mutation was enough to earn you that,” Hank interjected, still examining the plant.

 

Aurora stiffened. The way she looked was still a sore spot for her. It was where everything started in the first place.

 

The professor cleared his voice, and Hank turned to look at Aurora, the expression on his face faltering when he saw her frown, "Oh...sorry. That may have been a little insensitive."

 

“It's okay," she shrugged, "I’m used to it.”

 

Hank came to stand next to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, “hey, you're not the only one that looks different. Believe me,” he chuckled, “you should see me without my medication.”

 

Aurora gave him a skeptical once over in response. He looked pretty normal to her.

 

“Well,” the professor interjected, “I imagine that you must be exhausted, so you're free to go,” he paused to rummage through one of the drawers of his desk, making an _aha_ sound before sliding a paper across to her, “this is a map of the school- please feel free to explore your new home. We’ll have your class schedule ready by the end of the day, but don't worry about coming to class tomorrow. Take a day to adjust. We’ll also start studying your powers later this week.”

 

Aurora chewed at the inside of her mouth. Studying her powers? Maybe she hadn't been completely off with the whole science experiment thing.

 

“This isn't for our benefit, Aurora,” Professor Xavier assured her, reading her thoughts, “it's for yours. The first step to understanding your powers is learning what exactly you can do, and how to control it,” he offered that same reassuring smile, “I promise that all we want to do is help you.”

 

Aurora nodded. Though she was still skeptical about everything, she was starting to believe him.

 


	2. You Look Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After arriving to her new school and meeting professor Xavier, Aurora gets a surprise introduction from one of her new classmates.

By some miracle (and a little help from the map she'd been given), Aurora managed to make her way back to the dorms without getting lost. Class had already let out by this point, the halls alive with kids of all ages excited for the school day to finally be over.

 

Aurora made her way up a flight of stairs, nearly getting trampled by an excited pair of giggling tenth graders. She rolled her eyes. Meeting Hank and professor Xavier had been an experience, to say the least. Her original plan had been to keep her powers hidden until absolutely necessary, but thanks to them still being new and not exactly knowing how to control them, she went and killed a house plant not even five minutes into their conversation. Just thinking about it made her feel mortified all over again, and she could feel her face getting hot. That hadn't exactly been the first impression she'd been wanting to make.

 

Aurora stepped up the last of the stairs and started down the hallway, careful not to bump into anyone and to stay away from groups in a hurry as she walked. A few of the other students looked at her curiously, whether it be because she was new or her unusual appearance. She caught a few stray "look at her" and "oh, she must be new" here and there, but no one tried to talk to her as she passed them. Aurora didn't exactly have the energy to deal with anyone else right now, so she was thankful for that. At that moment all she cared about was getting back to her room for some time to decompress.

 

BAMF.

 

It all happened incredibly fast. The puff of blue smoke and the boy that appeared directly in Aurora’s path scared her half to death, her heart pounding hard against her chest at his sudden entrance. She let out a yelp, and the strange boy echoed her, equally startled. They both jumped backwards away from each other in shock, Aurora stumbling backwards onto the floor with a loud thud.

 

“I am so sorry!” the boy sputtered, his accent thick. Aurora couldn't exactly place it, but it was European of some sort. She could hear her heart beating wildly in her ears as she stared up at him incredulously, eyes wide. What the hell just happened? Had that kid just teleported or something? He'd appeared in front of her _out of nowhere_. And was that sulfur she was smelling?

 

“Please, let me help you,” the boy offered, sounding sincerely concerned as he crouched down and extended a hand to help her up. It was at that moment Aurora really took the chance to look at him, her breath hitching in her throat. She’d never actually met another mutant with a physical mutation before, until now. His skin was a deep shade of blue, he only had three fingers on each hand and... wait, was that a _tail_? She studied him carefully, noticing the strange yet somehow beautiful markings on his skin before her gaze met his. Behind his dark bangs his eyes were a striking shade of iridescent gold, like opal.

 

All she could really do was stare at him, mouth slightly agape. The feeling was seemingly mutual though, as the look on his face was identical to hers. Wonderstruck. They were both looking at each other like they'd just seen their own reflection in a mirror for the first time. Butterflies came to life in Aurora's stomach at the strange intimacy of it.

 

“Oh my gosh, Kurt. You have two perfectly good working legs. You really need to learn how to use them.”

 

And just as quickly as it had come, the moment was gone. Aurora tore her gaze away from the boy to see a short girl with jet black hair tied up into pigtails and the coolest yellow leather jacket she’d ever seen approach the two of them, arms crossed. She too offered Aurora a helping hand, a smile that could light up the entire room shining down at her, “don't mind Blue. He has a really bad habit of making surprise entrances.”

 

“I can see that,” Aurora managed a breathy laugh, taking the girl's hand. When she was back up on her feet she took a second to brush herself off, sparing a glance at the blue guy who was still crouched down. He'd gone from staring at her in amazement to looking thoroughly embarrassed, “you scared the bajeezus out of me.”

 

His eyebrows knitted in confusion as he slowly rose to his feet, “bajeezus?” He turned to the girl with the yellow jacket, “what is a bajeezus?” his accent on the word tickled Aurora's ears. It was like every other word was punctuated with a 'v'.  Italian? No. French?

 

The girl laughed, patting him on the shoulder, “don't worry about it, Kurt. It's just a saying,” again she extended a hand to Aurora, this time for a handshake, “I'm Jubilee, by the way,” she pointed her chin at the boy standing next to her, “and this charmer is Kurt. You must be new here.”

 

Aurora quickly shook her hand, careful not to linger for too long. She had the feeling that she would be getting that a lot for awhile, “yeah, actually. I'm Aurora.”

 

“Aurora?" Jubilee laughed, dark eyes twinkling, "cool name. Like Sleeping Beauty!"

 

Aurora couldn't help the small smile that played on her lips at the comment, "yeah, it's my mom's favorite," and just as quickly as the smile appeared, it had vanished, the wound still fresh.

 

"Hey, so Kurt and I were about to head to the mall with some friends. Do you want to come along with us? We could introduce you to everyone,” Jubilee offered, sounding genuinely excited about the idea. She nudged Kurt with her elbow, "we're gonna try to find him a pair of Nikes that will actually fit his giant feet and then we were gonna see _Vigilante_. You should totally come with us!"

 

Aurora’s stomach knotted. She was genuinely touched by Jubilee's spontaneous act of kindness, but she was still wary of being around people right now, let alone large groups. As much as he wanted to say yes, she shook her head, “I'd love to but… I'm sorry. It's been a really long day. Maybe some other time?”

 

Jubilee seemed a little disappointed, but easily shook it off, “oh, dude, I totally get it. I'm sure you've had a long day. I bet you're exhausted!”

 

Aurora nodded, and took a moment to look over at Kurt, who'd been kind of quiet. Her eyes went a bit wide when she realized that he was blatantly staring at her. Their eyes met and he awkwardly looked at his feet once he realized he'd been caught, his cheeks taking on a slightly purple hue.

 

“Um,” Aurora looked away from him and balanced her weight on her heels, trying her best to pretend that hadn't just happened. Jubilee seemed none the wiser, “I guess I'll see you guys around?”

 

“Definitely!” Jubilee chirped, grinning. She started down the hall, “c’mon, Kurt. Scott's probably ready to leave without us."

 

Kurt gave Jubilee a thumbs up and a weak smile as she skipped away. He turned to face Aurora, looking a bit nervous. He took a deep breath, seemingly unable to find the right words to say, “I… I like your spots.”

 

Aurora cocked her head to the side, taken slightly aback by the odd compliment, “um. Thanks?”

 

“I mean,” he let out a nervous laugh, running a hand through his blue-back hair. He took a moment to think before speaking again. “uh… you look different. Like me. It's nice.”

 

Their eyes met as the words escaped his mouth, and again, they just sort of stared at each other for a long moment. Aurora really didn't know what to say, but she could feel her own cheeks taking on a slight flush at his attempt at a compliment.

 

Snapping out of his daze, Kurt took a step away from her. He cleared his throat and offered Aurora a bashful smile, the slightest tinge of purple still clinging to his face, “I-I'll see you around.”

 

And with that, Aurora was met with yet another cloud of blue smoke and the scent of sulfur, this time taking him away rather than dropping him right in her path.

 

Aurora shook her head, still not one hundred percent sure about what had just happened. She supposed she could sum it up as she had just met a couple of her new classmates and one of them seemed to be really interested in the way she looked. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't enjoyed the attention.

 

Shrugging the bizarre occurrence and its leftover butterflies off, Aurora made her way a little further down the hall to her new room, a loud sigh of relief escaping her lips when she shut the door behind her. She kicked off her worn boots and peeled off her socks before tying her hair up into a high pony tail. For the first time in days she could finally relax, and she planned on taking full advantage of it.

 

Aurora took a second to survey her new dwelling, a bit of excitement swelling within her when she realized that she would be able to decorate and make it her own. Her dad wasn't around to tell her what she could and couldn't put up on her walls and dictate was she was allowed to watch and listen to. Despite the horrible circumstances that had brought her here, she smiled; she was coming to the sudden realization that all of this meant freedom.

 

Ignoring the pile of suitcases waiting desperately to be unpacked, Aurora instead grabbed her portable record player from the pile on the floor (obviously the first thing on the agenda was to make sure that her baby was comfortable in its new home). She set it up on her new dresser, pausing to admire the Ramones sticker her brother had pressed onto the grey fiberglass. _To give it character_ he had explained. Her shoulders slumped at the memory, but she quickly shook of the sudden wave of melancholy, not wanting to deal with it right now. She'd already sucked the life out of the fern in the professor's office, and she had no intention of killing off the small potted rubber tree that lived next to the window. She was hoping the poor thing would last at least a few days, provided she managed to keep herself in check.

 

At least, that's what Aurora kept telling herself; to suppress her emotions was to keep her powers in check. But there was so much more to it than that. And frankly, she didn't have the energy to come to terms with that right now.

 

Aurora dug out her favorite Depeche Mode record from one of her overstuffed suitcases and placed it on the turn table, Dave Gahan's voice filling the room. Ah. Just what she needed. She let out a content sigh and turned around, finding herself face to face with her reflection in the vanity mirror. She paused to look at herself, Kurt's words and his intense gaze on her suddenly at the forefront of her mind. _You look different. Like Me. It's nice._

 

Aurora took a moment to study her reflection, something she didn't do very often. She eyed her pale, paper white skin, and the black speckles that spread from her temples to the tops of her cheeks. Her hands traveled upwards to feel the tips of her pointed ears, before making their way to the soft tresses of her hair. Her bangs fell just above her eyes, the rest of it wavy and falling just past her elbows. The white of her hands was a stark contrast to her hair, which could best be described as being the color of lavender bubble bath. She took a moment to really study her eyes; probably the thing that she was the most self-conscious about. They were completely red; no whites and no pupils. Just soulless, crimson orbs that looked almost demonic. She huffed. Some snot-nosed kid at her old school had once said she had eyes like a rat.

 

Aurora's hands fell away from her hair as she studied herself, and she crossed her arms. Most of the time, she didn't know what to think of her appearance. The way she looked had been where all the trouble had started; the physical mutation slowly crept up on her in small doses over the course of two years. Her current reflection had existed for only two months before her real powers manifested and hit her like a metaphorical brick, but before that the way she looked had already cast a heavy cloud of stigma over her life. The weeks before her real powers surfaced had been absolute hell at school and at home, all because of her physical mutation.

 

Aurora leaned in closely to the mirror, examining her face as if she'd never seen it before. Despite the bizarre coloration, her features were fairly normal. Her lips were full with a defined cupids bow, and her eyes imitated the shape of almonds. She'd also been gifted with her mother's high cheekbones and long, straight nose. Even with the ghostly complexion and frightening eyes, even Aurora herself didn't think she looked that bad, contrary to popular belief. But she'd be lying to herself if she said she didn't miss her formerly sun kissed skin and chocolate brown eyes- sticking out like a sore thumb made her uncomfortable. She might as well have walked around with a neon sign on her forehead that said “mutant” in acid green print.

 

Kurt's words from earlier kept playing over and over again on loop in her head. _You look different. Like me. It's nice_. Aurora finally peeled herself away from the mirror and her gaze fell to the bed, seducing her with its pristine sheets and fluffy pillows. Well, at least Hank had been right; she definitely wasn't alone in the looking abnormal category. She gave into temptation and flopped backwards onto the bed, closing her eyes as the mattress squeaked beneath her.

 

For some reason, the blue mutants face was the first thing that came to mind. She visualized the unusual yet someone how beautiful markings that decorated his face, and those iridescent golden eyes. But the expression of wonder he wore on his face when he looked at her was what stuck out the most to her. She couldn't recall ever being looked like that before in her life. Her stomach flipped at the thought. The encounter had been bizarre, yes, but she secretly hoped that if she saw him again he'd still look at her like that. That the wonder wouldn't have worn off.

 

Coherent thoughts began to escape Aurora as she lay there, still picturing Kurt's face as she drifted. Sleep eventually swallowed her, everything fading into a deep blue before dreams blossomed, overpowering his image in her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, our favorite blue mutant has been introduced! I think I succeeded in making their first meeting equal parts awkward and memorable, and Jubilee was there to witness the whole thing, haha. Trust me, we're gonna have a lot of fun with those two.  
> Hopefully I gave you guys a clear enough description of Aurora's appearance. At some point here I'll get around to posting some drawings of what she looks like over on tallblueandgerman, but for now this'll have to do. I kind of picture her having Willa Fitzgerald's facial features but with lavender hair, completely red eyes, and the white skin+speckles I described.   
> Next chapter will feature a healthy dose of angst and the introduction for another OC who will play a pretty big role in all of this. Thanks again for reading and I'll see you all soon<3


	3. Jorge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief look into the events that led to Aurora’s arrival at the institute, and an introduction for her new roommate.

_“She's our only daughter, Tom! You can't be serious!”_

_“You know how I feel about mutants, Carmen. How many times have I told you about Cuba? How not only myself and hundreds of men almost lost their lives because a group of super powered freaks got ballsy? I don't trust them._ Any _of them. As far as I'm concerned, that thing isn't my daughter anymore.”_

_The sliding glass door was cracked open just enough for Aurora to overhear the verbal war raging on between her parents from inside the house. Her father had come home from work to find “mutie trash” spray-painted across their garage door, storming into the house yelling at her mother that he couldn’t do this anymore. He’d had enough._

_Aurora folded her legs up against her chest, the chair swing swaying a bit from the sudden motion. She found herself wishing that she’d stayed at the library for just a bit longer so that she wouldn’t have been subjected to this. When she’d gotten home that day she could hear their voices from outside the front door, shaking her to the bone. She didn’t dare go inside, instead opting for heading to the backyard with the hope that she could sneak in through the slider, but with no such luck. Instead she was trapped in the trenches of their war zone, forced to listen. Of course they’d chosen the kitchen as the perfect place to scream at each other._

_“Thing?” Her mother repeated, her tone incredulous, “You’re calling Aurora a thing? Eres un maldito idiota!” her inflection had gone from disbelief to venomous in the blink of an eye, “are you even listening to yourself, Tom? Mutant or not, this is our daughter we’re talking about._ Aurora. _How dare you call her a freak!”_

_“That's right, she’s a fucking mutant, just like they wrote on the god dammed garage!” Her father roared, the sliding glass door practically shaking. Aurora could feel tears welling up behind her eyes, the lump in her throat getting harder to swallow. She wasn’t even in the same room as them, but she could still feel the blast of his words as if she were inches away, “I refuse to take responsibility for one of those abominations! She's not mine anymore.”_

_“Abomination? Tom, she just looks different from us,” her mother tried to reason, throwing her hands up, “she’s still your little girl._ Our little girl _. You're talking like she's dangerous or something!”_

_“Well, she could be,” he was starting to sound exasperated, but his voice still boomed through the crack of the door, “most of the ones I saw on Cuba looked like they could have been normal people, but they nearly killed me and hundreds of other men without so much of a second thought. For all I know Aurora could be the same as them. I'm not willing to take that chance,” he paused to catch his breath “besides that… do you really want to be known as the couple with a freak daughter, Carmen? You saw what they did to our house. With her looking like that, this is only the beginning.”_

_Aurora choked out a sob and clamped a hand over her mouth._ Her own father thought she was dangerous _. She'd thought that Richie dumping her over the way she looked or his idiot friends defacing their property was bad, but the situation had quickly taken a nosedive._

_She began to shake, her vision blurry with tears. Her parents were still arguing in the kitchen but she had retreated so deep into her own head that she couldn't hear them. What were they planning on doing with her? Was she going to end up out on the streets? Mutant hate crimes were broadcasted on channel nine news every day. Panic swelled in her chest. Her father kept a gun in the house. With his PTSD and how he was talking, she was terrified for her own life._

_The reality of the situation came falling down on her like an anvil to the head._ _Maybe she should have prepared for this. Her father had always been the first to say how much he hated mutants and wished the worse towards all of them. How had she expected him to think any differently towards her?_

_Aurora was so deep in her own head that she almost didn’t hear the creak of the gate opening. She looked across the patio just in time to see Jorge come through, backpack slung across one shoulder and gym bag on the other._  

_“Hey, sis!” his face lit up when he caught sight of her, dark hair tangled and dirt smeared across his cheeks from baseball practice, “I forgot my house key so I just…” He trailed of, stopping in his tracks towards her when he noticed the state his sister was in. His toothy grin was quickly replaced by a frown, “are you okay?”_

_Aurora shook her head as a sob bubbled up. She was so distraught she couldn’t even manage a simple ‘no’._

_He dropped his bags and sped over to her, coming to a stop and kneeling so that they were at eye level, “hey,” his voice was soft, comforting, “what's wrong? Are Richie and his friends bothering you at school again?”_ _his expression turned hard, brown eyes narrowing, “you know I'll kick all of their asses if you want me to. All you have to do is ask.”_

_“I-no,” Aurora blubbered, wiping her nose with her sleeve. She sniffed. For some odd reason her hands were tingling as if they were falling asleep, the sensation spreading up her arms as her heart rate quickened. She shook it off and pointed her chin at the sliding glass door, her parents yelling explaining much better than she could._  

_Jorge looked from her to the ugly scene unfolding inside and back to her again, frowning as realization hit him, “Again?” he sighed._

_Aurora swallowed, “didn’t you see the garage?”_

_Jorge gave her a confused look and stood back up, crossing her arms, “no. Why?”_

_“Some idiots from school…” she could hardly even say it, “they spray painted ‘mutie trash’ on the garage. And, and dad’s done, Jorge. I’m on my way out,” her voice cracked, and the strange tingling was becoming harder to ignore, “I think I’m gonna have to go.”_

_“You know mom would never let anything happen to you. And neither would I,” Jorge insisted. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to have any of that. He placed a reassuring hand on her trembling shoulder, “Dad… He just needs time to adjust.”_

_Aurora chewed at her bottom lip. The tingling was starting to get especially strong in her fingers, and she could feel it starting in her legs, “no. You know him, Jorge. He's told us about Cuba and how much he hates mutants hundreds of times.”_

_“I know. But you're his daughter. He'd never-“_

_“Yes, he would! He-he told mom that I'm not his daughter anymore. He thinks I'm a monster,” Aurora exclaimed, a violent sob wracking her body, “the garage thing? That’s it. He’s done! Dad wants to send me away. He doesn't want me anymore!” just saying that she was unwanted hurt more than hearing it from the source, and the tears were uncontrollable. The feeling of pins and needles had swallowed her up at this point, but she was too wrapped up in her panic to even think about it._

_“Aurora…” Jorge started, trailing off. His usually lively eyes had glazed over, and his mouth hung open as if the words had been stolen from him. It was like he’d been frozen._

_“Jorge?” Aurora sniffed, staring at him with concern. It was at that moment she noticed he wasn’t breathing. The panic in her chest only intensified, and she jumped to her feet grabbing him by the shoulders, “Jorge!”_

_When her hands met his shoulders, he was cold. Ice cold. Aurora took in a sharp breath, and the feeling of pins and needles stopped and the swell in her chest she thought was panic disappeared. What was happening?_

_“Jorge?” She tried again, terrified._

_The only response she received was a quiet gasp as his eyes rolled back. Aurora watched in horror as he fell backwards, landing on the patio in a heap._

_She shrieked._

 

 

Aurora awoke with a start, gasping as she sprung up from the bed. A cold sweat had begun to break above her brow, and her chest heaved up and down as she tried to steady her breathing. She clamped her eyes shut as she inhaled and exhaled, trying to pull herself back to reality. _A nightmare. It’d only been a nightmare_. She let out a deep sigh. Would she ever stop reliving that awful day?

“I'm so sorry, did we wake you?”

Aurora jumped at the sudden voice, eyes open and gaze whipping towards the door. Hank was standing in the doorway, suitcases in both hands. He let out a nervous laugh, “sorry for barging in like this. You didn't answer when I knocked, so I figured you had left.”

Aurora stared blankly at him, leftover sleep still stuck in the gears of her thought process. She glanced at the clock the wall, the arms falling at 8:34 AM, “shit,” she muttered. She'd slept through until morning. 

“Anyway,” Hank continued, setting the suitcases down next to the empty bed across from hers,” I see that you've colonized that side of the room, so your new roommate will be over here.”

“Roommate?”

As if on cue, a short girl with a head of wild curls and dark skin poked her head through the doorway, “hey, Hank, I take it this is it?” her fluorescent yellow eyes met Aurora’s and she paused, giving her a once over. A smile that was all teeth took over her face as she stepped into the room, practically lighting up the whole place as she did so, “hey, roomie.”

It finally clicked in Aurora’s head what was going on, and her stomach felt like it had been filled with rocks. _Oh no_.

Hank smiled and gestured towards the new girl, “Aurora, this is Yara. Yara, Aurora.”

“Hiya,” Yara waved, her bracelets clanking, “you look like you just woke up. Sorry ‘bout intruding-”  

Aurora flat out ignored her, her gaze hot on Hank as her words crashed over Yara’s, “I thought I wasn’t going to have a roommate.”

Hank’s eyes fell towards the floor, the look on his face making it obvious to Aurora that he'd been prepared for her to say that, “well, it's not really up to me-“

Aurora jumped to her feet, suddenly feeling not only angry, but betrayed. How could they? Hadn’t she made it clear enough yesterday that it was best for her to be alone? “Where's the professor?” she growled.

“Look, I can ask to be put in a different room-“

“That won't be necessary, Yara. Aurora-“

She didn't wait for him to finish or tell him where the professor was. She darted out of the room into the bustling hall, not even stopping to brush her hair or throw on a pair of shoes. It was as if she’d parted the red sea with her fury, groups of students practically jumping out of her way as she stormed down the hall.

Aurora was fuming. She couldn't believe that they'd had the audacity to give her a roommate after what had happened yesterday. She could feel her blood boiling as she stomped down the hallway, nearly taking down a pair of freshman who hadn’t gotten the memo to move or be moved. There was no way in hell she was going to let them risk her sharing a room with another person, and the consequences it could bring.

“Aurora! Wait!”

Aurora whipped her head around to see Hank jogging after her. She scoffed and kept moving, but came to a halt when he grabbed her arm.

“The professor is in a meeting,” he explained hurriedly as he tried to catch his breath, “and anyway-“

Aurora shook his hand away, glaring up at him. Her hands balled up into fists and her voice shook with bitter rage, “why do I have a roommate,” she demanded.

Hank had a look on his face that said he didn’t want to answer her; he knew exactly why she was so upset. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, “well… Aurora, listen. The professor thinks that keeping you locked away by yourself will only make things worse.”

Aurora raised an eyebrow at him, still having half a mind to make a run for the professor’s office and take care of business. Her and Hank were getting some strange looks from other students passing by, whispering to each other. Great, she was making a scene again.

“I need to be alone,” Aurora spoke quietly, letting the tenseness in her shoulders slip. Her previous anger began to slip away and her blood made its way back to a normal temperature, “I don't want to hurt anyone else.”

“I- we,” Hank corrected himself, raising a finger, “understand that.”

Crossing her arms, Aurora retorted, “how does giving me a roommate solve anything, then?” She paused, her voice going quiet, “you're just putting her in danger.”

Hank placed a hand on her shoulder and offered a reassuring smile, “Aurora, if we thought you were dangerous, I can promise you things would have turned out much differently. I think Yara can handle herself, anyway.”

Aurora chewed at the inside of her mouth, her gaze falling to the floor. She was glad that they found her a lot less frightening then she did, but worried at the same time. The image of Jorge’s crumpled body flashed across her vision and she shuddered. She couldn't let something like that happen again.

“Can't you put her in another room?” She asked carefully, like a child asking for a new toy they knew they couldn’t have, “please?”

Hank sighed inwardly, running a hand through his dark hair, “Aurora… You'll never learn to control your powers by isolating yourself. I can promise you that Charles knows what's best. He'd never put you or another student in harm’s way like that, okay?” he paused, as if debating on whether or not to add the last part, “plus… with all of these new enrollments, we _are_ short on rooms. I couldn't put Yara in another room even if I wanted to.”

There was a pause as Aurora processed what she'd just been told. She didn't agree with any of it, but she wasn't exactly in the position to make any changes, “okay,” she finally replied, voice hushed.

Hank looked visibly relieved at Aurora’s decision to yield. He took his glasses off and cleaned them with his shirt, saying, “I know that this is hard, but trust me, it's for the best,” he squinted at her before putting his glasses back on, “you know…you should probably head back there and properly introduce yourself to Yara. I think you may have come off a little… uh...”

“I was being a bitch,” Aurora finished, suddenly feeling a bit of guilt swell in the pit of her stomach. He was right; her earlier stunt had been less than welcoming, to put it lightly. Though she still didn't like the idea of a roommate, she realized that she should probably make the best of it. She would be spending a lot of time with this girl, and the least that she could do was peacefully coexist with her.

Hank snorted, “I wouldn’t put it like that. But you probably want to apologize.”

“Yeah, you're probably right,” Aurora muttered, starting her way back towards her now shared dorm. Might as well take care of this now.

“By the way, Aurora,” Hank called after her. She turned around to face him, “we’ll have your class schedule ready a little later today. Also,” he paused, as if debating if he should continue speaking or not, “do you think, in a couple of days, you'd maybe be up for meeting up with me in the lab? To do some research and tests on your mutation?”

His question caught her off guard, and she stiffened. Frankly, she wanted nothing to do with her mutation; research, tests, none of it. She would have loved it if her powers would vanish as quickly as they'd shown up. But maybe there was a way that she could control them, and maybe Hank could help her find it.

Mulling things over, Aurora nodded, “sure. What day works for you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation(s):  
> Eres un maldito idiota!: You're a fucking idiot!
> 
> *continuously stabs table with knife* ANGST ANGST ANGST ANGST!!!  
> Hurrah for tragic backstories! And to think, this is only the tip of the iceberg; just wait until I go more in detail with the events that led Aurora to enrolling at Xavier's. Yikes!   
> I'm not sure if I'll get the chance to mention this later on, so I figured that I would now. Yes, Aurora's father was there during the events in Cuba that happened during First Class, which is where his prejudice towards mutants evolved into hatred. It should also be mentioned that Aurora's father grew up in the foster system, and joined the military right after he turned 18, so she has no family on her father's side. As far as her mother goes, all of her family on that side are in various parts of Mexico as her mother moved to America after marrying her father (they met while he was on vacation in Mexico). Basically what I'm getting at here is that aside from her brother and parents, Aurora has almost no other family, which is a big reason why she ended up at Xavier's after everything went badly. I hope that makes sense.  
> ANYWAY.  
> Yara is the creation of my dear friend Sam (aka quetzalli), who also happens to be my beta. I subject her to my awful first drafts and somehow she still sticks around, and if that's not true friendship I'm not sure what is. She's great. I love her. And I love Yara! I hope you guys do too. You'll get to know her a bit more in the next chapter. Also, Kurt will be back for round two.  
> Thanks for reading <3


	4. New Kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a not so wonderful first impression, Aurora tries for round two and learns a bit more about her new roommate Yara.

Aurora sauntered back into her now shared dorm room with her tail between her legs. Hank had been right; to say that she'd made a bad first impression would be an understatement, and she was legitimately worried that Yara wouldn't be forgiving. Still, she tossed her reservations aside and met her fate head on.

 

“Hey,” Aurora greeted cautiously as she shut the door behind her. She looked up from her feet to see Yara sitting cross-legged on her bed, elbow resting on her knee and head in her hand.

Both her face and tone were void of expression as she spoke, “so am I sleeping in the backyard?”

 

“No, no! Of course not,” Aurora sputtered, waving her hands around frantically. The knot in her stomach tightened and she sighed, “I'm sorry. I'm such an asshole,” she was coming to the conclusion that she really needed to learn to be more tactful.

 

Instead of tearing Aurora a new one like she’d expected, Yara began to laugh, and the grin that spread across her face could only be described as shit-eating, “hi asshole,” she made finger guns at Aurora and winked, “I’m Yara.”

 

At first Arora was a little thrown off at what Yara at said, but once she’d processed it she felt the knot in her stomach come undone. A joke. That had been a joke. She chuckled. And a _dad joke_ , at that.

 

Looking proud of her own joke, Yara stood up and stepped towards Aurora, “we’re cool, dude. I mean I kinda just barged in here unannounced this morning. I can understand why you were pissed,” her posture was easy and comfortable, just like her voice. She extended a hand towards her new roommate, “maybe we could try this again. I’m Yara.”

 

“Aurora,” she introduced herself, quickly shaking Yara’s hand. Even with just the brief contact to go off of, Aurora couldn’t help but notice just how warm Yara’s hand was; it almost felt like she had been holding a hot mug of coffee.

 

“Soooo?” Yara dragged out the word and popped her tongue. She took an extended look at their new living space, her gaze coming to a halt at the corner of the room. She pointed her chin at the withered plant sitting sadly in front of the window, “I see they have really weird taste in décor here. Personally I would have gone with something greener, maybe a little less dead.”

 

Aurora’s heart sunk to her stomach when she caught sight of it. “Shit,” She hissed. She zipped over to the poor, pathetic thing to closer examine it, but the damage had already been done. The leaves were shriveled and nearly black, all life having been drained from it. After the night terror she’d suffered through the night before, Aurora wasn’t surprised that the plant hadn’t survived. Nonetheless she felt guilty, “not again.”

 

“Wait, did you have something to do with it?” Yara’s tone was curious as she walked over to Aurora and crouched down next to her to get a better look. She poked at one of the leaves and it practically crumbled, eliciting a low whistle from Yara, “dang. This thing got wrecked. How’d you do it?”

 

“I… I don’t know,” Aurora muttered, her response true but not entirely honest. The knot in her stomach returned with a vengeance. She'd been hoping that the thing would have survived at least a few days, but apparently that was just wishful thinking. The nagging thought of whether or not Yara was going to be safe sharing a room with her nagged at her conscious.

 

“So you… control plants?” Yara took a stab at guessing her powers, eyebrow raised.

                                                                                                                  

“No.”

 

“You _kill_ plants?”

 

“Yes. _No._ Not exactly,” Aurora fumbled. The statement wasn't wrong, but it wasn't right either. She let out an aggravated sigh and turned away from the stupid plant, not wanting to look at it anymore.

 

“So what _are_ you in for?”

 

Aurora’s shoulders sunk. _That_ was something she had no interest in talking about. And besides _that_ whole situation, she didn’t have a proper explanation for her powers anyway. She knew _I kill things_ wasn't a good answer, nor was it correct. Chewing at her bottom lip, she carefully strung an explanation together in her head, shoving aside the messy details in favor of something more clean and concise.

 

“I… Well, I look weird,” Aurora finally spoke, turning around to look at Yara again. She paused, again carefully choosing her words, “I mean, I do have powers. But I don’t understand them well enough to explain it,” she watched as Yara nodded, thankful she wasn’t asking her for more details. She awkwardly cleared her throat, “What about you? What makes you a ‘gifted youngster’?”

 

Yara shrugged, “I glow.”

 

Aurora was slightly taken aback at that answer. She took a moment to really look at Yara. While her skin was glowing in the sense that it was bright and clear, she most definitely wasn’t giving off the effect of a glow stick. Was it something that she could just turn on and off? Or did they have to go somewhere dark for it to work?

 

“I know I'm not doing it right now but it happens. I can’t really control it yet,” Yara explained, as if reading Aurora’s thoughts, “I mean, my eyes are like the only thing about me that might give it away.”

 

Aurora hummed. Her eyes definitely weren’t your average brown, blue, or green; they could best be compared to a yellow highlighter, just much more luminous. But apart from that, Yara looked completely normal. If she had said she was just your typical human being, most people would believe her without a second thought- the only thing blatantly mutant about her, as far as Aurora could tell, were her eyes. Aurora couldn't help the small swelling of jealousy she felt. Her powers were harmless and she looked like any other teenager. Must have been nice.

 

“My parents thought it'd be a good idea for me to come here,” Yara continued, kicking the floor nonchalantly as she spoke, “Just in case, y’know? They didn't want me to end up like that Summers kid who was on the news a few months back,” she almost sounded embarrassed, “I dunno, man. I feel like my mutation is kinda lame but they wanted me here because they were worried something might happen.”

 

 _Summers kid?_ Aurora could vaguely remember seeing a news story about some kid who’d wrecked a school bathroom with his laser vision (she clearly remembered her dad going on a tirade about it over dinner that night). Seeing something like that would definitely be enough to worry the parents of any mutant kid, provided their parents were actually sensible about mutant issues.

 

“Well, at least you didn't destroy property or something, right? It sounds to me like your parents really care about you,” Yara nodded reluctantly at that, pursing her lips. Aurora stepped away to rummage through her suitcases, suddenly remembering that she was wearing her clothes from yesterday, “you're lucky. Not all of us have parents like that.”

 

“Well…I mean, yeah. I guess,” Yara half-heartedly agreed, “like, don't get it twisted. I'm excited to be here and meet other mutants and all that but I don't think my mutation is all that special.”

 

Aurora dug out a clean sweater and tights, a small pile of dark clothing forming beside her.  She looked at Yara over her shoulder, her tone more deadpan than she’d meant it to be, “glowing sounds pretty cool to me. At least it’s not something dangerous like face lasers,” _or killing things_ , she finished in her head.

 

“That's all I do though,” Yara laughed, but she sounded a bit exasperated, “like I don't look cool like you do and I don’t do anything special. I just turn into a night light and that's about it. I guess I just feel like I don’t belong here. Like I’m… I dunno, a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon in a cooler filled with fancy French wine.”

 

Aurora knitted her eyebrows not only at the strange expression, but what she’d said before that. Yara thought that her freakishly white skin, soulless red eyes, and weird hair was cool? She wasn’t quite sure if she should be flattered or question her new roommate’s eyesight, “I’m gonna go change,” she muttered as she stood up, fresh outfit in hand.

 

“Wait a sec,” Yara stopped Aurora from heading to the bathroom, “Aren't you new too? Why did your parents send you here?”

 

Aurora’s hand froze just as she was grabbing the door handle. _Shit_.

 

Somehow, Aurora managed to shrug and turn around so that they were facing each other, “well, back home people weren't particularly nice to me because of the way I look,” she awkwardly placed together a vague explanation that hardly even scratched the surface, “There…there was an incident a few days ago so my mom pulled a few strings and brought me here.”

 

Yara’s strong features softened with an expression of understanding, “oh,” she breathed. There was no need for Aurora to further explain; news reports of mutant hate crimes and parents abandoning their kids over the X gene had been all over TV for years. Despite most people taking on a newfound acceptance of mutants, there were still plenty of bigots with hatred to spread no matter where you went.

 

“I'm sorry,” Yara spoke quietly. She cocked her head to the side and gave Aurora a thorough look, as if she were trying to find something, “you're not hurt or anything, are you?”

 

Aurora’s body had to have noticeably gone rigid at Yara’s question. She glanced down at the dark sweater and tights in her hands; it was 80 degrees outside. _Shit_ , her heart skipped a beat, _am I making myself obvious?_ She quickly averted her gaze from her clothes back to Yara, who was patiently waiting for some sort of response.

 

“I'm fine,” she spoke just a little too quickly, Yara’s bright eyes narrowing just ever so slightly at her hasty answer. Aurora shrugged, trying to backtrack with feigned nonchalance, “it’s just been really… _tough_ these last few days. Everything happened pretty fast.”

 

Yara nodded, lips pursed, either content with her answer or suspicious. Aurora shifted uncomfortably, mentally chastising herself for being so paranoid; her roommate probably just didn’t know what to say.

 

As if a switch had been flipped, Yara’s thousand-watt smile returned with a vengeance, “Yeah, I totally feel you. My getting enrolled here felt like a total whirlwind,” she paused, her smile turning slightly devious, “just so you know, I’m always ready to kick ass if needed. So if you ever feel like heading back to your hometown and need some reinforcement…” she winked.

 

A small smile played at Aurora’s lips at Yara’s offer, “thanks, but I think I’m okay for now. I’ll be right back,” and with that, she about-faced and headed towards the small, shared bathroom.

 

Once Aurora had made sure the door was securely locked, she began peeling off her day-old clothes. She held her breath as the garments hit the floor, keeping her eyes averted from the mirror. But the angry clouds of purple and grey that had bloomed on her upper thigh weren’t exactly easy to ignore, practically taunting her when she tugged off her jeans. Her stomach turned sour at the sight of it, her efforts to avoid her reflection all for nothing.

 

Aurora ran her fingers over the tender spot on her leg, pressing at it with her index finger. A dull pain seeped through her skin causing her to wince. She knew that if she turned around and brushed her hair away she’d be greeted with even more splotches of black and indigo that would ache if she prodded at them.

 

 _What did you do to him? What the fuck did you do?_ her father’s vicious tone echoed through her head again, and she almost felt sick, _I knew you were a monster!_

 

Aurora had to bite her bottom lip to hold back the tears that were suddenly threatening to spill. _No. Not right now. Hold it together._ She was tired of thinking of that awful day, and even more tired of the tears that followed suit as an added, miserable bonus. Aurora snatched her fresh pair of tights from the counter and quickly pulled them on, the bruises temporarily vanished via black spandex. She tried her hardest to think positively as she pulled her favorite The Cure sweater over her head. _At least summer’s almost over_ ; _wearing sweaters and keeping her legs covered won’t be so bad soon_. _The bruises should be healed up in a week or two anyway._ Despite that, she’d still have to be very careful at concealing her bruised thighs and back for the time being; the last thing she needed right now was to have to explain how they’d gotten there.

 

 “So…you're completely blue? Like all the time?”

 

“Ja, all the time.”

 

“Dang, that's so rad. Does everyone here look cool?”

 

Aurora had been so absorbed in her own internal monologue that she’s just barely noticed the conversation going on right outside the door. Her eyes darted up; was that who she thought it was?

 

She quickly ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to comb it out, and mentally swore at herself for forgetting to bring in her toothbrush. She opted for squirting a dollop of toothpaste on her finger and quickly scrubbing at her teeth so she’d at least be a little more presentable. She wasn’t sure why her heart was beating so fast, but it was. She wanted to make a good (or at least decent) second impression.

 

Taking a deep breath to calm herself and wiping away any stray tears, Aurora cracked the door open and made her grand entrance. Just as she’d expected, Kurt was sitting at the edge of Yara’s bed, excitedly chatting away as Yara unpacked one of her suitcases, “Ja, I was born like this. I see you have yellow eyes too-“

 

He stopped midsentence at the sound of the bathroom door opening, whipping his head around in Aurora’s direction. His face lit up when he caught sight of her, and she couldn’t help but match his toothy grin- it was contagious, “Gutten tag!” He waved at her, his tail mirroring the motion behind him.

 

“Kurt,” Aurora was actually pretty happy to see the strange blue kid again, but it was still quite the surprise to find him in her room chatting it up with her new roommate, “I- what are you doing here?“ She stopped herself, not wanting a repeat of the social faux pas she’d made that morning with Yara, “I mean, not that it's not good to see you again or anything. I just… um. What’s the occasion?”

 

Still smiling, Kurt stood up and took a step towards her. His demeanor had completely changed from the day before, his awkwardness replaced with an air of confidence. It was almost like he’d been rehearsing for this, “it's nice to see you again too. Professor Xavier told me that we had a couple of new students who might be in need of a tour… So here I am,” he held his arms out like a show presenter, “aber I didn't realize he meant you and your roommate…?” He trailed off, glancing over at Yara, having forgotten her name already. Aurora sucked on her teeth; she still couldn’t place that accent.

 

“Yara,” she confirmed, dropping the shirt she’d been folding and stepping towards the two of them, “speaking of which, what's your name again? I want to get it straight now otherwise I’m just gonna call you tall, blue, and German.”

 

German! Aurora finally realized. Germany. That's where he was from. She had to resist the urge to cheer.

 

Kurt chuckled a bit ay Yara’s description of him, “it's Kurt. Kurt Wagner. Or The Incredible Nightcrawler,” he smirked, “whichever you can remember.”

 

“The Incredible Nightcrawler?” Aurora raised an eyebrow, “what is that like a stage name or something?”

 

“Ja, actually!” Kurt nodded excitedly, smirk replaced with that sharp-toothed grin, “that's what they called me back at the Munich Circus. I was their star acrobat!” He was practically bouncing with excitement.

 

Yara’s eyes went wide, “you were in the circus?” she exclaimed, sounding completely amazed, “Holy shit, that's awesome! I mean I was in a talent show once when I was a kid but that's just not the same,” she paused, a look of confusion replacing the awestruck look on her face, “What made you come here?”

 

Aurora noticed Kurt hesitate a bit, his smile faltering if only for a second. He quickly shook it off however, and had she of not been looking at him in the first place she probably wouldn’t have noticed his expression slip. He shrugged, “it's kind of a long story. Let's just say I was I had an opportunity I couldn't refuse, so… Here I am,” he quickly looked between the two of them, steering the conversation back on track, “so how about that tour? I could talk about the circus for hours if you don’t stop me.”

 

Aurora bit her bottom lip. If she were being honest she still just wanted to hide away in her room, but with both Kurt and Yara looking at her expectantly it was difficult to say no. She tried to put on her most enthusiastic smile, “yeah, sounds like a plan. Just let me put my shoes on.”

 

“Ditto,” Yara agreed. She went to turn and brushed her bare arm against Kurt’s and her eyes went wide, “oh my gosh,” seemingly in a trance, Yara ran a hand down Kurt’s arm and back up again, a look of childlike wonder on her face, “ _fuzzy_ ,” her eyes found Aurora’s, the expression on her face that of a child petting their first kitten, “oh my god, _he’s so soft_!”

 

Kurt laughed, not looking even the slightest bit uncomfortable. Yara pulled her hand away, realization hitting her. She looked completely mortified, “oh, jeez. I’m so sorry! That was probably rude.”

 

“No, no, it's fine. I'm used to it,” he laughed again, “so long as you don’t try to pull my tail, it’s fine,” his gaze found Aurora’s and he held his arm out to her with a playful smile, “would you like to pet me too, fraulein?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodness, this took so long to finish! I know you guys have gotten four chapters all in one week, but I've been so busy that this chapter sat unedited for almost two months. My last update on tumblr was in August. Ugh.  
> Anyway, we got a little more info on Yara in this installment and their will be more to come next chapter (along with introductions for the rest of the X-Squad). It'll be a fun one!  
> Thanks for reading <3

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! You may have already seen this on my blog tallblueandgerman over on tumblr, but I figured it'd probably be a good idea to post this here as well (: I recently joined the X-Men fandom after falling in love with the rebooted movie series, and already having a bit of a soft spot for it growing up with a mother who has literal boxes of X-Men comics in our closet. So if their are any inaccuracies, please forgive me! I'm still kinda new so if anything is inaccurate or feels OOC please let me know.  
> Anyway, I'm absolutely horrible at writing summaries but as you've probably guess already, this story will be focusing primarily on my mutant OC Aurora and her experiences at the institute. And of course, Kurt will have a pretty big role in all of this too (he makes his first appearance in the next chapter, I promise!). While this story follows Aurora's journey, there will be another OC added to the mix along the way and the rest of the X-Kids are all going to be coming along for the ride. What I will say now is that this is Kurt/OC, and I'll more than likely have little drabbles/one shots posted separately in Kurt's POV to round things out.  
> Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this first little bit <3 we'll be learning more about Aurora in the following chapters along with introducing the rest of the gang. Talk to you then!


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